Gallery of the Masters Fine Art Gallery

Nicholas Roerich

1874-1947 Russia/History-Mystical

Brief Biography-Nicholas Roerich was born in Saint Petersburg in 1847. He was considered to be a painter of mystic and religious subject, whilst his professions were archaeology, architecture, philosophy, theosophy and law.
He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts, gained a law degree and was later president of Sergei Diaghilev’s World of Art Society. He successfully designed sets for all of Diaghilev’s stage performances during is presidency. He also indulged in eastern religions along with his wife and was influenced by the writings of Rabindranath Tagore the Indian symbolist artist.
He left Russia after the revolution with his family for Finland, it is thought because of his distrust of the Bolshevik regime and a fear for Russia’s artistic heritage. From Finland they went to London where he did stage designs in Covent Garden and put on exhibitions of his works. In 1920 they went to America, based in New York he successfully exhibited his works throughout the States until 1923.
He undertook an expedition to Asia for a five-year period which was meant to introduce western Buddhism to regions, but it was seen by others as an artistic mission, one way or another it ran into hostility in Tibet and resulted in five members dying in captivity. They were allowed to go to India in 1928.
When he was back in America, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Roerich Pact was set up to protect cultural property in 1935. He was also involved in an expedition to Mongolia for the Department of Agriculture. In 1942 he spent time in India with Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi. He died in Naggar, Kullu in 1947.
There are museums dedicated to him in the Moscow, New York and India and his works are exhibited in museums worldwide.